There are inherent dangers in F1 racing that are worsened by the sport itself. It’s obvious that speeding around a track over 100 mph is dangerous, but the design of the car and expectations of wealthy team owners can be just as dangerous. Being a cautious driver in F1 racing isn’t as important as being a winning driver. Since safety isn’t always the number one priority, the dangers in F1 racing might be ignored. The FIA, Formula One racing’s official safety organization, have therefore, imposed a lot of the safety regulations that are in place today.

Ever since the sport of Formula One began in the 1950’s, peril has been infused into every part of F1 racing. The main difference between F1 racing and other professional races are the tracks. Most other tracks are simple oval designs that allow gradual turns. The dangerous part of F1 racing is the sharp left and right turns that drivers must make. Also, even those the tracks are closed-circuit, if a driver hasn’t practiced sufficiently, the differences of a new track could mean disaster.

Many measures have been put into place to offset the dangers in F1 racing. The earlier of those measures added has been the addition of the helmet for drivers. In the 1970’s and 80’s, F1 racing helmets started to be designed for drivers. This accessory is necessary considering the lack of protection of the open cockpit. Another helpful safety invention has been head and neck supports. The head and neck support system was put in place to prevent whiplash, which is one of the most common F1 racing injuries. The cockpit, or monocoque of the car, has also been strengthened in recent years to withstand a serious accident. These compartments are made of strong carbon fibre.

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The Formula One racing World Championship season is held annually from early spring through fall. Races are held at locations around the world but each race weekend follows the same pattern.

Each Formula One racing event is a three-day event held on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The exception to this is at the Monaco Grand Prix. In Monte Carlo Friday practices are moved to Thursday. Each driver is allowed two practices on Friday and one on Saturday. A team may use three drivers on Friday but only two cars.

Friday and Saturday mornings are designated as practice times in Formula One racing. The Practice sessions are held prior to the start of qualifying sessions. Following the practice session a qualifying session is held. The Formula One racing qualifying sessions are used to determine starting positions for the race. Multiple sessions are run using a knockout system. Each round eliminates the slowest six drivers. The first six eliminated are the final six in the starting line-up. The six eliminated in the next round are the second to final six and so on.

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During the early days of Formula One racing it was not unusual for drivers to be over forty years old. As the demands of the sport have changed so have the drivers. Today’s Formula One racing drivers are younger. They also are more physically fit than drivers in the past. Training begins at a young age and the career of a Formula One racing driver is usually over by his mid-30s.

Most Formula One racing drivers begin their careers driving in other European racing sports. In the past the Formula 3000 series was considered the final stepping-stone before entering Formula One racing. Recently, however, the champions in the new GP2 series have moved on to Formula One racing. Additionally, former British F3 drivers are also commonly found in Formula One racing.

Working as a test driver for a Formula One racing team is considered the perfect training ground for drivers new to Formula One racing. Test drivers have the opportunity to drive during Friday on Formula One racing weekends. Considering the quantity of testing that is performed with Formula One racing vehicles, it is not uncommon for test drivers to complete a season with more drive time than the official team drivers.

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Formula One racing evolved from early European Grand Prix racing. These early races here held on public streets and some of the current Grand Prix races continue to be held on them. Due to safety concerns associated with street racing, most Formula One racing events are held on circuits designed to meet the specific high performance demands of Formula One racecars.

The number of Grand Prix held each year can vary. Most of the traditional venue locations remain on the schedule year after year. However, new circuits are built and added to the schedule each year, allowing Formula One racing to expand into new international markets. As a result, the season takes drivers on a tour of well-known circuits as well as exciting new locations.

At the start of Formula One racing all of the races, except for the one race in the United States, were held in Europe. Over the years the popularity of the sport has led to the addition of circuits located around the world. In 1953 the first South American Grand Prix was held. It was followed by the addition of the African World Championship race in 1958. The 2007 season consists of 17 races, only 8 of which will be held in Europe. Formula One racing Grand Prix are now held in Europe, Asia, Australia, North American and South America.

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Spectators at Formula One racing events notice race marshals using flags to send messages to the drivers. The marshals, positioned around the track, each have ten different flags. Today the flags serve an information source for spectators. Modern Formula One racing speeds make it difficult for drivers to be aware of the flags and react in a timely manner. Technological innovations now allow each Formula One racing cockpit to be equipped with a GPS marshalling system that displays the flag color when the driver is passing the relevant track location.

Formula One racing flags follow a pattern. Many of the flags are common to most auto racing events and familiar to the general public. Others are specific to Formula One racing.

The black and white checkered flag is perhaps the best known of all racing flags. The checkered flag indicates the finish of a session or race. During qualifying and practice sessions the flag is waved when the allotted time has elapsed. At the end of a Formula One racing event the checkered flag is waved first at the winner and then at all following cars so that they understand that the race has been completed.

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